2. Andronico’s closes: The Berkeley-based grocery chain, open more than 80 years, shuttered both its University and Telegraph Avenue stores this fall with some 55 employees losing jobs. New owners pledge to spiff up the remaining local outlet, on Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley. Mayor Bates — and many Berkeleyside readers — want another food market to fill the vacant spaces.

The first Berkeley crop swap was a big success and spawned a second regular event. Photo: Christina Diaz

5. Artisanal butcher opens: The local butcher is making a comeback around the country and Berkeley is in on the act. Berkeleyside’s Tracey Taylor covered the city’s new whole-beast butcher from day one. Run by ex-Chez Panisse chef Aaron Rocchino and his wife Monica, The Local Butcher Shop in the Gourmet Ghetto has quickly developed a loyal following among home cooks and restaurant chefs. It’s also garnered a reputation for the most dapperly dressed meat men around town.

Crowds turn out to taste mobile food at the first Off the Grid. Photo: Tracey Taylor

"Place a Bouquet of Flowers on the Table and Everything Will Taste Twice as Good." Illustration: Copyright (c) Maira Kalman 2011. Reprinted with permission from The Penguin Press from FOOD RULES by Michael Pollan.

8. Michael Pollan’s Food Rules returns: Author and UC Berkeley professor Michael Pollan published an illustrated edition of Food Rules with the goal of reaching a wider audience with his message: “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.” Pollan gave Berkeleyside one of only a few print interviews following his guide’s re-release, which features the art of Maira Kalman.

9. Monterey Market melodrama ramps up: In May, Berkeleyside contributor Niclas Ericsson broke the news of small merchants in the Northbrae neighborhood taking on the big grocer and much-loved institution Monterey Market for aggressive marketing strategies (like price undercutting) which they deemed unfair. The ongoing saga turned nasty as the year went on, as recently reported by the East Bay Express.

11. Urban Adamah: A farm with Jewish roots takes hold: The faith-based urban farm with portable plots in West Berkeley opened in June. The one-acre Urban Adamah offers a residential fellowship for young adults, summer camps for kids and teens, fresh produce for the hungry, and Jewish holiday celebrations with a food and farming focus. The program, which seeks to provide environmental, educational, social justice, and spiritual lessons, could serve as a model for communities across the country.